Which to use
“fumar” is a verb and “fume” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,649
- “fumar” frequency rank
- #32,617
- “fume” frequency rank
- 37266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fumar | fume |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aspirar o fumo de | gás ou vapor com cheiro forte e perigoso de inalar. São partículas sólidas formadas por condensação do estado gasoso, por exemplo, óxidos de metais volatilizados. |
Where the eye mixes fumar and fume
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fumar and fume
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fumar is /fu.ˈmaɾ/ while fume is /fjuːm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fumar is recorded at frequency rank #4,649, classified as averb, pronounced /fu.ˈmaɾ/. fume is at rank #32,617, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fjuːm/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 37266, this pair ranks #29,390 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fumar vs fume
Shared letters: fmu. Private to "fumar": ar. Private to "fume": e.
"fumar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fume" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fumar" for "fume" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fumar" vs "fume" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fumar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fume" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #29,390 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fumar" and "fume" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fuck vs fume". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #29,390 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.